Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Tour Kick Off - Meet and Greet - Hannah's Voice by Robb Grindstaff

When six-year-old Hannah's brutal honesty is mistaken for lying, she stops speaking. Her family, her community, and eventually, the entire nation struggle to find meaning in her silence.

School officials suspect abuse. Church members are divided—either she has a message from God or is possessed by a demon. Social workers interrupt an exorcism to wrest Hannah away from her momma, who has a tenuous grip on sanity. Hidden in protective foster care for twelve years, she loses all contact with her mother and remains mute by choice.

When Hannah leaves foster care at age eighteen to search for Momma, a national debate rages over her silence. A religious movement awaits her prophecy and celebrates her return. An anarchist group, Voices for the Voiceless, cites Hannah as its inspiration. The nation comes unhinged and the conflict spills into the streets when presidential candidates chime in with their opinions on Hannah—patriotic visionary or dangerous radical. A remnant still believes she is evil and seeks to dispatch her from this world.

Hannah stands at the intersection of anarchists and fundamentalists, between power politics and an FBI investigation. All she wants is to find her momma, a little peace and quiet, and maybe some pancakes.

One word would put an end to the chaos if Hannah can only find her voice.

In addition to a career as a newspaper editor, publisher, and manager, I’ve written fiction most of my life. The newspaper biz has taken my family and me from Phoenix, Arizona, to small towns in North Carolina and Texas, and from seven years in Washington, D.C., to five years in Asia. Born and raised a small-town kid, I’m as comfortable in Tokyo or Tuna, Texas. I now reside in a small community in Wisconsin where I manage the business operations of a daily newspaper. The variety of places I’ve lived and visited serve as settings for the characters who invade my head.

I’ve had a dozen short stories published in several print anthologies and e-zines, and several articles on the craft of writing fiction. My first novel, Hannah’s Voice, debuted January 15, 2013, and two more novels are in the works for 2013-14.

I also edit fiction and non-fiction books for authors from around the world. It helps that I’m fluent in five languages: U.S. English, U.K. English, Canadian English, and Australian English, plus my native language, Texan.

Twitter: @RobbWriter

Reading Addiction Blog Tours MEET and GREET

#1 – Do You See Writing as a Career?

Yes, absolutely. I still need a day job, of course. Few writers can earn a living from fiction. It’s more than a dream, however. It could happen, and I work toward that goal. I approach writing as a career, a long-term proposition. Writing costs more than it brings in when you look at the expenses and time involved to write a novel and bring it to market. I view that as an investment in a long-term outlook.

#2 – What was the Hardest Part of Your Writing Process?

For me, it’s dedicating the time to write. I’m not a ‘must write 1,000 words a day’ type of writer. With a regular (non-writing) career and a family, I have to set aside time to do writerly stuff, and that can be hard to do. I also edit novel manuscripts for other writers, so that takes up a lot of time, but I really enjoy doing it, and it brings in regular income to support my writing habit.

#3 – Did you have any One Person Who Helped You Out with Your Writing Outside of

Your Family? I can’t pinpoint ‘one person.’ There have been so many. When I lived in Washington,

D.C., I was a member of a superb writing group (the Cat Vacuuming Society), and I learned so much from everyone in that group. They were all writers of different genres, so I learned things like world-building from the fantasy writers (which applies even if your story is in a real world setting), building tension and suspense from the horror writers, emotion from the romance writers, and all-around good tips on how to craft fiction from writers of all genres.

There’s also a group of writer friends whom I know mostly from online writers’ groups, although I’ve met a couple of them in person. They’ve become real friends, and we all support each other through our writing careers, beta reading, and through real-life issues. This group of friends has provided me with not only great writing advice, but the motivation to keep going.

#4 – What is next for your writing?

The first novel I wrote is currently undergoing an edit and revision, and my publisher (Evolved Publishing) plans to release it Summer 2013.

#5 – Do you have an addiction to reading as well as writing? If so, what are you currently

reading?

I do at times. I’m more of a binge reader. When I’m writing, I can’t read other novels. I read a lot of novels that I’m editing for clients. So I go through periods of time where I don’t read much published work. Then, I’ll hit a spot where I read one novel after another, from current bestsellers and my favorite writers, to a new writer, to self- published or indie works. The books I’ve just recently read include The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman, Jellicle Girl by Stevie Mikayne, and Desert Rice by Angela Scott. The Imperfectionists was fantastic and really hit home for me, as it’s about an American newspaper set in Italy. I spent my career in the newspaper business, including several years for an American newspaper abroad.

By way of full disclosure, Jellicle Girl and Desert Rice are two books recently put out by my publisher, Evolved, but they sounded interesting and I wanted to see what else Evolved was putting out there. I found both of those books to be beautiful, wonderful stories with very real characters, and very well-written. That’s not a plug for my publisher – it’s my honest opinion.

DESCRIBE Your Book in 1 Tweet:

A six-year-old stops talking, and the country unravels over her message. One word would end to the chaos, if only Hannah can find her voice.

This or That?

#1 - iPod or Mp3?

iPod

#2 – Chocolate or Vanilla?

Chocolate. Definitely chocolate. Anything chocolate.

#3 – Mashed Potatoes or French Fries?

Fries. Definitely fries. Anything fried. Except fried chocolate.

#4 – Comedy or Drama?

Depends on my mood, but I love a good comedy.

#5 – Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks?

Neither is my cup of tea. Give me John Irving or Amy Tan or Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. Or F. Scott Fitzgerald or Hemingway or Vonnegut or...

#6 – Fantasy or Reality?

Reality.

#7 – Call or Text?

Text. I just don’t like talking on the phone that much.

#8 – Public School or Home School?

Me? I went to public school. Our daughter went to a mix of public, private, and overseas schools. For parents who desire and have the ability to home school, I completely support that. There’s a lot to be said for it, depending on each family’s situation.

#9 – Coffee or Hot Chocolate

Yes. Coffee in the morning. Lots of coffee. Hot chocolate on a cold winter night.

#10 – eBook or Paperback?

Both. I love my Kindle. Easy to read, hold, and lots of advantages. But I still like the feel of a printed book, and I like having bookshelves full of books that I can peruse, pull off the shelf and re-read or skim through and then put it back. But I do love my Kindle too. So convenient.